How much longer?

There is enormous grief across the country at the death of the young woman from Delhi. The political class has been swift to promise that death penalty will be imposed in serious crimes for sexual assault also. There are also many protestors who have asked for the rapists to be hanged. The courts will decide the quantum of punishment for the accused. But if we take one step back and think, will this really solve the issue? Has death penalty for murder eradicated murders? 

There have been many things pointed out in the course of the last few days which need to be kept in mind.

1. At the basic level we need to learn to respect women more. In today's world teaching people to treat other women as their mothers and sisters is well nigh impossible. However can't we at least follow the principle of "look but don't touch"?

2. Our films should emphasise less on sexuality. It is very difficult to find a Telugu film of late which does not have at least one item number. Even if there is no direct item number the dresses the heroines wear, and the language and innuendo used leave little room for doubt as to what is being talked about. Unfortunately our movies seem to have a lot of importance in our lives. 

3. Parents should inculcate some values in the first school - the home. There are some TV shows today where proud parents send their children to dance to some quite vulgar songs. There are undoubtedly many parents who take delight in their children singing and dancing to vulgar numbers.

4. Our society stigmatizes rape victims. Imagine what the actual number would be if all rapes in our country were reported. In many cases the incident is simply not reported keeping the family's honour and future in mind. There was a recent case where a girl was raped by a relative and his friend. Only the rape by the friend was reported. Even in the Delhi case we still do not know the actual name of the girl. Parents should have the determination and guts to take action against the rapists.

5. The system should support parents in this regard. Though it would be a dark day indicating the nadir of our "civilization" setting up fast track courts for rape is a step in the right direction. Our legal system largely pays lip service to the maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. How many times can a rape victim visit courts and recount the horrific incident perpetrated against her? 

6. Even before talking about courts the police system should also be mentioned. There have been recent reports of a rape victim being raped by the police she had gone to. What is this country coming to? There was another incident in Punjab recently where a girl committed suicide after the police refused to register a case. Strict action should be taken against such policemen.

In my opinion more than death the right punishment for rapists would be to chemically castrate them. Rape is an act where (more often than not) a man shows his power over a woman. It is an act where he might wish to show his might or superiority over the woman, where he seeks to put down what he sees as her pride or impudence, where he wises to subjugate her and "put her in her place". Thus it is an assertion of power and masculinity. What punishment would be more effective than removing this very power and letting him live the rest of his life like that? How long will it be before we see a rape-free India?

Edit: I am happy I am not the only one thinking along these lines. Check this and this.

Do we invite invasion of privacy?

There is always a hue and cry whenever a news item about new measures from either a website or the government that can potentially affect citizen/user privacy surfaces and rightly so. I believe that each individual is entitled to some amount of personal privacy.

However social networks offer a glimpse into something slightly different also. I am sure research has already been done or is being done or will be done on this issue. Human beings love attention. We love being pampered and what is this without attention? A social network offers us an opportunity like never before to gain attention. To be completely honest I believe even a blogger is part of this crowd. There might be a desire to disseminate one's views to the larger public. But there is an underlying motive of gaining attention in this also. For e.g., whenever I write a new post I share the link on Twitter and Facebook. I regularly check the number of page views. Frankly to me this is an ego boost though I am nowhere in the list of at least widely followed bloggers.

I frankly however (maybe hypocritically) find it irritating when people air their display of affection publicly. It is one thing to post photos. Here one might want to share these with one's friends and relatives. It is completely a different thing to air grievances like "Why me, God?" and "I miss my koochikoo" on social networks. This would, at least in my opinion be diabetical without being sweet. Assume my friend's boy/girl friend just dumped her/him. S/he puts up a status saying something like, "Why me?" or something else similarly cryptic. Now s/he will get sympathetic (from those in the know or those who understand) or questioning comments below the post. Now will s/he be willing to answer publicly the posts which ask what happened? I assume that s/he will not be. In such a case what is the point of airing the grievances publicly? If one is looking for support and expresses one's sorrows publicly would it not make sense to come out completely?

This was not the case before the advent of social networks. If such a situation happened previously a girl's friends would sit with her and say unmentionable things about the boy and his unmentionables (I got this from a girl, so ladies, please don't protest). In essence there will be intense bitching against the guy. If the guy is the dumpee his friends sit with him and try to tell him that there are more important things in life without the bitching. At least this is what a guy is supposed to do. Look how the world changes!

Is Digvijay Singh serious?

First of all I have a doubt. Unless I am wrong I believe that it is legally wrong to suppress truth about a crime when you know a crime has taken place. Look at this article. Digvijay Singh says that family should not be attacked. He claims to have evidence against Vajpayee's son-in-law but does not want to mention it. Can someone from the police department please question this man? This person says his party has never attacked family members. If my memory serves me right, some time before Vajpayee became the PM there was a comment either from Sonia Gandhi or (most probably) Ghulam Nabi Azad. The quote was to the effect that Vajpayee is a bachelor. So how come he has a daughter? Vajpayee retorted that he had never seen that kind of character assassination in politics. I am not a career politician. Digvijay Singh is. I believe he should get his facts right before he goes onto national press or television.

Also if I am not mistaken in many cases it is the relatives and family members of politicians who help in hoarding unaccounted-for wealth. So I believe Digvijay Singh wants all politicians to go scot free. They should only remember to keep their black money with family members, no questions asked!

He is said to be the political guru of Rahul Gandhi. There is a tale by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Apparently he came across a big frog being swallowed by one variety of snake. The frog was too big for the snake. However it was not willing to let the frog go. Thus both were suffering. Had it been a cobra it would have long since consumed the frog. Sri Ramakrishna says that this was like the relationship between an unfit guru and his disciple. If the guru is not proper both have to suffer. Is this the reason why in spite of all his "efforts"Rahul Gandhi does not seem to be making any headway anywhere (apart from maybe in the Congress and in some select foreign holiday destinations)?

Further what is it with Beni Prasad Verma? This man is bent on shoving his foot into his mouth whenever he opens it. Unfortunately I do not remember his previous gems. Detractors of Salman Khurshid must have been cackling with laughter when they heard his remarks - that 71 lakhs was too small an amount for a central minister to embezzle. True, in this day of 2G and coalgate when the scams are in hundreds if not thousands, sorry thousands if not lakhs of crores 71 lakhs is too small an amount!

Remove individual sports bodies!

Moving to the second topic, I came across this article recently. I had earlier talked here and here about BCCI and other sports. Let us get a few things straight:
1. In my opinion any organization which claims to do anything representative of the nation has to be open to public scrutiny irrespective of the source of its funds.
2. Cricket is the richest sport and BCCI - India's richest sports body - claims to select an Indian cricket team.
3. There is a sports ministry which is responsible for sports overall.
4. Various key positions in sports organizations today are manned by politicians.

In such a scenario I propose that there be modifications made to the overall structure.
1. There will be a sports minister and ministry above all.
2. Let there be IAS officers in-charge of the day-to-day administration of individual sports. These should be assisted in an advisory role by a respected sports player.
3. However for selection only experienced sportsperson should be present. Further they should also play a clear and prominent role to decide the training needs of the sportspersons.
4. There should not be any individual purses for the various sports bodies. Let there be a common pool for all funds. This might sound unjustified to some. Why should the funds obtained through sponsorship rights of say a cricket match be used for tennis? Well, I pay tax to the government. Do I have the right to claim that the government provide solely for my needs only? Is it justified (I am pretty sure Ayn Rand is turning in her grave)? However sportspersons represent the nation on the global stage. It is the government's responsibility to ensure they are properly trained. Let us not participate for participation's sake.
5. The news article mentioned above talks about funds being given to sports bodies run by PT Usha et al. This is a great idea. These are people who have won laurels for the country and themselves. Let there be all possible help for them.
6. However in all cases there should be accountability. This is zero today. Suresh Kalmadi was never penalized during his entire tenure as head of India's Olympics Committee for our dismal performance year-after-year.
7. We cannot avoid politicians in India. Let them be the overall bosses only if required. Please let our boards not be populated by them unnecessarily.

What right do the likes of Sharad Pawar, Arun Jaitley and Rajeev Shukla claim to be on the boards of cricket bodies? Today there is money in cricket. We find politicians in profusion there. Tomorrow if there is money elsewhere we will find them there.

Final year projects for sale!

There is a lot of hue and cry about the employability of graduates and post graduates in India, so much so that some companies have started programs to train the work force before they actually begin work. I come from an engineering background (these days, who doesn't?). I occasionally put a question to my peers - are you an engineer or did you pass engineering? In my opinion people who actually go into design and to some extent implementation/maintenance of equipment are true engineers. I shall leave my readers to judge which category I fall into!

Whether it is post graduation or graduation students get worked up when it is time to decide the final year projects and guides. I am sure most engineering graduates will confess to have approached seniors for their projects. This was taken to a whole new level by a poster I saw today. Bhubaneswar has a lot of engineering colleges in and around it. I stay very close to one of the more prominent ones and hence the area I live in has a large student population. Today I had gone into the market to purchase some items when I found a notice pasted on the wall outside a shop. It advertised a phone number which students could contact for "professional-looking" final year projects. I might be paraphrasing but that was the gist of it. I was taken aback by the sheer brazenness of the poster.

Is this a sign of the things to come? There were apparently days long gone when people were pure (probably no one alive today has seen them). Then there was a time when injustice or acts of dishonesty etc were perpetrated but stealthily. Have we finally come to the day when a dishonest act does not need to be cloaked?

What Kejriwal should learn from Chanakya

There was a Telugu movie some time back titled Leader. It features the now-hunk and he-of-the-single-expression Rana Daggubati. It was about the son of an assassinated Chief Minister who becomes the CM in line with his dying father's wishes and sets about cleaning up the state's corruption-ridden politics. I don't see this movie actually happening in the real world but it is a good watch.

In the movie the protagonist moots in the state legislature a proposal to set up an anti-corruption body which will have the power to prosecute everyone. There is vigorous opposition from politicians cutting across political lines (sounds familiar?). He is advised by an elderly politician to remove politicians from the list of people the body can investigate and this immediately finds favour. The logic was that the people in the upper echelons depend on bribes from the lower echelons. If the lower echelons were trapped automatically the bribes for the top will stop. So he was employing one class against the other.

Now coming to today's India Kejriwal and team seem to be after all politicians in India. He must remember a few things. The memory of people is short-lived. Indira Gandhi was voted out of power in 1977 post the emergency. However she came back to power soon. This was at least in some measure due to the incompetence of the Janata government. However people were willing to forgive her. Salman Khan has been accused in hit-and-run and animal hunting cases. In the recent past he is probably the cinema actor whose films have grossed the most at the box office. Kejriwal has decided to take on the entire political establishment. This is foolish, to say the least. For one, in my opinion people of our country don't care enough. Even if they do they care for a very brief time. Look at the fate of Anna Hazare's movement. Hence Kejriwal needs to take a leaf out of Chanakya's book.

What Chanakya had done was probably not ethical but was steeped in realpolitik. He first took the help of some rulers like Malayaketu to remove the Nanda dynasty. Later he removed Malayaketu as he was a threat to Chandragupta. I request correction if I get my facts wrong. Kejriwal should understand and apply the concept of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". If he is correct he should use the current opposition parties to rid the ruling coalition of unwanted elements. Later on he should focus on the current opposition. I remember a discussion on NDTV where there was an NCP representative, Prakash Javadekar from the BJP (I seriously think he should be replaced) and Ms Damania among others. The discussion, or should I say arguments started with Ajit Pawar. The NCP rep who is also the head of one of Air India's pilots' union was brazen in his arguments which was quite irritating. He was being cornered when Damania raised the issue of Gadkari and she and Javadekar started fighting much to the relief of the NCP rep. In this din the whole issue gets forgotten.

So my dear Kejriwalji, please get your focus right. Apparently comedy is all about timing. Let us ensure that the current anti-corruption movement does not end up as a sad joke.

Gadkari - the man of the season

First of all, I do not want to be sued by Nitin Gadkari. Recently Anjali Damania, an RTI activist went live on national TV to state that Gadkari tried to dissuade her from pursuing her investigation into the alleged irrigation scam in Maharashtra. I am not very sure what proof the lady is carrying and it is perhaps very unwise to make that allegation in absence of any proof, even if it is true. 

Now apparently Gadkari had said that there were business dealings with Sharad Pawar. I am not very clear on this. However I was suddenly reminded of a Sanskrit sloka when I saw a news article that an amendment has been made by the BJP to its Constitution to enable heads of the state and national units to serve a second term. The most prominent beneficiary of this move would appear to be Gadkari as his terms ends in December this year. This was done apparently because the RSS felt that the job of overhauling the BJP begun by Gadkari was incomplete. Maybe he is indeed the best person suited for the job. I am not making any allegations, but to my knowledge the richest BJP President till date has been Gadkari who is a businessman and agriculturist (the link to Pawar?).

The sloka goes like this.

यस्यास्ति वित्तं स नरः कुलीनः 

yasyaasti vittam sa narah kuleenah
स पण्डितः स श्रुतवान गुणज्ञः 

sa panditah sa shrutavaan gunagyah
स एव वक्ता स च दर्शनीयः 

sa eva vaktaa sa cha darshaneeyah
सर्वे गुणाः काञ्चनमाश्रयन्ति

sarve gunaah kaanchanamaashrayanti

The meaning goes something like this - the one who has wealth, he is said to be of noble ancestry, said to be a scholar, a man endowed with good qualities. He alone is an orator and a handsome one. All qualities are dependent upon (possession of) wealth.

When the BJP is gearing up for the 2014 elections (though far away) and a possible election before that (unlikely though) would Sushma Swaraj or Arun Jaitley who are leaders of the opposition have been better choices? There is a lot of talk about Modi being the next Prime Ministerial candidate. Would he have been a good choice? The last choice is difficult as Gujarat is scheduled to go to the polls soon. Still, just wanted to express my opinion.

Also Yeddyurappa is in rebel-mode again. He is not very subtly giving hints to the BJP by praising the Congress saying they have never let their leaders down. Seriously? If this is indeed true this could have been because the tallest (officially at least) leader for most if not all of the time has been a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Apparently Gadkari started out as a BJP worker and is today party President. I hope this continues and we don't see people who think of party posts as family heirlooms (more than the case is today, if I may say so).

Vanka leni...

The attitude of a certain political party towards the CAG somehow reminds me of the Telugu saying which natives will recognize from the title. The Hindi equivalent (kind of) is naach na jaane, aangan tedha (blaming the slanted floor for not being able to dance). Before I am lampooned I shall admit that the Telugu equivalent for this is aada leka maddelani annattu (blaming the instrument for not being able to play it).

The spokesperson of this party has blamed the CAG for the monsoon session. In reality the opposition parties have to definitely take the blame. However if the government had not provided the fire the opposition would not have provided the smoke. A previously active spokesperson had to quit after his colourful private life was exposed (pun unintended). The present spokesperson took the easy way out and blamed the easiest target. The CAG has generally not responded publicly to any allegations against him. So the political party is kind of safe.

Moving on, the powers-that-be in India have once again proved how intolerant we are of dissent. The cartoonist Aseem Tripathy perhaps got a trifle carried away when he portrayed wolves instead of lions in the national emblem. Ideally this should not have been done. But arresting the guy is taking things a little too far. The interesting thing is in this case though there are accusations of politics behind the arrest, it is the police who seem to have become too active.

And what is this item in the news which says wives will get salaries? As can be said, "78% of all statistics are made up, like this one". I mean no disrespect to homemakers, my wife is one. But is paying your family member a salary the only way to give "socio-economic empowerment" to women? So tomorrow will we find guys turning homemakers, asking their wives to work while they get salaries from them? This is apparently a way in which we will get a "truer picture of GDP in our country". Has the government lost all hope in its team of lawyer-ministers and bureaucrats? Does this government believe India's growth story is so dead that we will have to resort to (badly) creative accounting to inflate our GDP figures which by some estimates might go below 6% also this fiscal?

Quo Vadis NaMo?

Many in the BJP would want Narendra Modi to be the PM candidate in the next general elections. The JD(U) with an eye on its Muslim supporters is extremely unhappy with this idea and Nitish Kumar has made some not-so-subtle remarks to this effect.

Now Modi is in extremely troubled waters. First a BJP MLA has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the Naroda Patiya massacre. Next Modi is also under flak for his remarks saying that malnutrition is because of girls becoming figure-conscious. The BJP which has been on the offensive for the last few days on the coal "scam" has suddenly been forced to stop and think. Modi is already facing opposition from non-Congress sections in Gujarat (read Keshubhai Patel who has put up his own party). It remains to be seen if and how Modi will extricate himself from this situation.

Coming to the coal scam the government is increasingly being painted into a corner. First came the CAG report. Then Chidambaram was accused of painting a "zero-loss" portrait a la Kapil Sibal on the 2G issue. Recently it has come to light how Subodh Kant Sahai recommended that a company of which his brother was a director be allocated coal. Now the coal ministry itself is planning to cancel allocation of those companies which have not been able to develop their allocations. All of this is adding ammunition to the opposition to further take on the government.

However the opposition is not justified in holding Parliament to ransom. They are elected representatives and are responsible to their respective electorates. Let Parliament function. The issues should be taken up on the floor of the house. Beyond this they can always take the issues up in public. Does the opposition believe that the PM will actually resign? Looking beyond the protests it might also appear the opposition is trying to drown out the issue as apparently some non-Congress states had also opposed auctioning of coal blocks.

When legislators unite

I saw a few articles in the online edition of the Times of India and NDTV which prompted this post. There are rare occasions when our legislators display unity cutting across party lines. This is especially true on two occasions - when they face some common threat to their facilities or authority, and when the issue is vote bank politics, namely reservation.

We have a range of reservation quotas in our country, SC/ST, OBC and god knows what all. The Supreme Court had said some time back said that quotas for promotion should be backed up by solid figures to show actual backwardness of the categories. Does this make sense? Well, to our legislators it appeared to be a golden opportunity to amend the Constitution and introduce reservation quotas for the SC/STs. Another occasion when our legislators were united was during the recent agitation against corruption when cutting across party lines they remembered to mention that parliamentary processes enshrined in the Constitution have to be respected.

Another thought-provoking incident is the recent rallying around of ministers in the Andhra Pradesh government. There are a few accused of colluding with the late YSR Reddy and his son Jagan in quid pro quo cases with corporates. Dharmana Prasada Rao has recently been chargesheeted by the CBI. He is the second minister after Mopidevi Venkataramana to be investigated by the CBI in a case related to a company called Vanpic. A number of ministers have unitedly asked the Chief Minister not to give permission for his prosecution. There is a saying in Telugu which says that the guilty person is the one who makes the maximum protestations of innocence. These ministers bring to mind this saying. I do not recall the exact time but another time ministers are united is when they give raises to themselves in terms of salaries and facilities.

In these times of government austerity a large panel will be going abroad, flying business class and also going sight seeing. If the government was serious about austerity it should have curtailed at least the sight seeing trips, for it is the tax payer that is financing these jaunts. However in this age of lip service can we expect anything more? Politicians rally around Baba Ramdev when he talks about the need to bring back black money from abroad. How many of them are willing to publicly list all properties owned by them, their ministers and civil servants? On the other hand we have an opposition which is hell bent on disrupting proceedings of Parliament.

The BJP must be smoking something if they seriously believe that either the PM or his government will resign because of their protests over the coalgate (I am sick of this "gate" syndrome) issue. Why do they insist on disrupting the house? The UPA might have the moral authority to rule or govern. If in the next elections the NDA comes to power it will be more because of a lack of alternatives than anything solid or constructive that they have done while in opposition. These are the times when one years for the no-choice option on a ballot paper or an EVM.

Will our politicians ever unite like this for a Lokpal or something which is actually useful for the nation?

Glorification and de-humanisation

The civil services and the armed forces are legacies of the British rule in India, however modified they may be from their original versions. This article is based on some assumptions I am making. If I am wrong please feel free to correct me.

For many years Indians were not allowed into the civil services. In the armed forces also Indians were taken into the jawan ranks and the officers were primarily Britishers. So when we consider the erstwhile officers in the civil service or the armed forces there had to be distinctions between the sahibs and the natives. This probably explains the (extravagant?) facilities enjoyed by the officers whether it be in terms of accommodation and transport or attendant servants.

Now 65 years after independence we are still following the same practices. I met a jawan on a train once. He was complaining how tough life was for the average jawan. Refer to this article also. A little while back I believe there were reports of police constables being used by their seniors for household chores. Giving good facilities for the officers is one matter, dehumanising others is a separate matter. Take the instance of accommodation. In lots of places defence officers stay in apartments in their enclaves. Why can't the same model be replicated for the civil services also? Take Lutyens's Delhi for instance. Each MP has a huge bungalow. Why can't these people be shifted into 3 or even 4 bed-roomed apartments? Give them serviced apartments if the situation demands so. Imagine the amount of real estate that will be freed up either for commercial development or for any other purposes! Even if corrupt public servants eat up a part of this there will still be a lot of land which can be used profitably.

The President of India - From Figurehead to Token?

For long there has been an impression among many that the President of India has always been a figurehead with all actual power being concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister and his council of ministers. This is true to an extent. However the current presidential election has brought into focus the importance of a President in especially the current political scenario of India. When fractured verdicts have become more common than before the President holds the prerogative of inviting who he thinks can form the government. Also I am currently reading Turning Points by APJ Abdul Kalam. This further shows how a President can play an active role.

However our Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces seems to be increasingly becoming a token. Why was Pratibha Patil made the President? One reason was that she was pliable and not at all likely to do anything controversial or inimical to the interests of the ruling authorities. It is another matter that her post-retirement home (which was to have been constructed on Army land), her foreign trips and of late her pardoning spree have made her anything but controversial. However probably the most important reason was that she was a woman. And not only a woman, but the first woman President. When KR Narayanan was made the President there was a lot of noise made about a Dalit having become the President, never mind the millions of Dalits facing persecution and oppression, the failure of successive governments to improve their plight via reservation or otherwise.

Today we have a politician in Pranab Mukherjee who has all the essential qualifications to be the next President. But no, PA Sangma will not hand it to him on a platter. He wants a tribal to be the next President. The opposition, sniffing a different front to attack the government pounced on the opportunity. I wonder when we will move ahead of these tokenisms and re-elect a person of Abdul Kalam's stature unanimously!

Moving on, Time magazine has dubbed our PM an underachiever. I would be quite interested to see how the government and the Congress react to this. This is something that people in the country are well aware. The Time article only serves to show that outside India also the PM is losing his veneer of respectability. Of what use are power, fame or intellect if you cannot exercise or utilize them?

A Manmohan encore? Unlikely

Manmohan Singh (MMS) has taken responsibility of the Finance Ministry (FM), probably leaving P Chidambaram (PC) one disappointed guy. There are many who expect MMS to do an encore of his 1991 act when he shook the Indian economy out of its slumber. However this seems hardly likely this time round. There are multiple commentators who have expressed the view that this time round MMS does not have a PV Narasimha Rao to back him up. He has Sonia Gandhi who is the power behind the throne. Sonia Gandhi's NAC for instance seems to be acting as a separate cabinet. There were some points made with respect to the proposed legislation on land acquisition and rehabilitation by a Parliamentary Standing Committee. It seems that post these there were discussions internal to the NAC and with Rahul Gandhi. What is the sanctity of the Standing Committee in this scenario? Had the proposals been rejected by the Cabinet it would have been one matter. However here we have a body which is unelected and extra-constitutional. Sonia Gandhi seems more interested in maintaining all subsidies and her pet projects like the MGNREGA and the Food Security Act, irrespective of the impact on our economy. India today is facing its highest current account deficit (CAD) in 20 years. India has not been able to fully capitalize on the weak Rupee to boost exports. One reason is probably the weak external demand due to sluggish growth or contraction abroad. The CAD is also being affected as a weak Rupee also increases the cost of our imports. 

It is time that the government woke up and did something before we face another 1991-like situation. The government keeps making all the right noises about reforms and requirements of the economy - whether it be FDI in infrastructure or in the retail sector. However when the PM is not the actual decision maker implementing anything becomes difficult. We have ministers booing the international rating agencies (the fact that their credibility is under question post the sub-prime crisis is a different story). We have a minister asking Lakshmi Mittal  not to defame India abroad. We have Pranab Mukherjee, who by the way seems all set to become the next President, who has been saying that the government will take steps. We never get to know what these steps exactly are. 

Moving on, India seems to be making some progress in investigating various terrorist attacks. Jundal or Zabiuddin or whatever his name is has been brought back to India. Now another operative called Fasih will probably be brought back soon. However the media seems to be getting overly zealous in reporting. In fact Jundal's arrest was supposed to have been kept a secret. Also everyday we seem to be getting updates about the investigation. Do the media personnel realize that these are matters related to national security? That their reports will serve to alert other operatives and can potentially give them enough prior notice to escape the law? There should be some self-restraint that has to be practised by our media. Also the government should investigate who it is that is leaking these reports to the media. Further we know Pakistan is a slippery customer as it is. Give them proof of their complicity and they will give 10 reasons to escape responsibility however hollow they might sound. Hence secrecy becomes all the more important.

Jagan-naut or Jagan-nought?

This is my first post from the land of Lord Jagannatha. Juggernaut is a term I find cute. Now coming to the topic, I will first of all confess that I have greatly lost touch with the general events in my home state of Andhra Pradesh. It is due to the obsession, for lack of a better word, with Jaganmohan Reddy (Jagan), the late YSR's son that I have started taking interest again. My wife and I both have been victims of this media saturation. Thus when she suggested a post on this, I though, why not?

For the uninitiated, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, an extremely charismatic leader was a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Ever since he died his son Jagan had been nurtuting chief ministerial ambitions. When "Madam" Sonia Gandhi did not show any interest he broke away from the Congress and formed the YSR Congress Party. He seems to be quite popular, at least as per the response to his public rallies and the margin of his victory in his Lok Sabha contest. He has been accused of illegally profiting during the rule of his father. It is said that there have been quid pro quo investments in his companies. His rise has been spectacular. Now we have to see whether his downfall, if it happens will be as spectacular.

Today Jagan is a strange factor in Andhra politics. There has been strong clamour for Telangana to be carved out of AP. The Congress is a fence-sitter while the TDP has turned pro-Telangana. To my knowledge Jagan is yet to make his stand clear. This political ambiguity, while having its critics can actually help him as people will not have a clear reason to not vote for him. His entry into politics has queered the pitch for the TDP and Congress. There are leaders from both parties who can very well switch to YSRCP. This can directly lead to the present Congress govt. falling. Thus it is in the Congress' interests to ensure that Jagan is sidelined. Further YSR effectively ensured that there was no other leader of his standing or popularity in the state unit of the Congress. As per a news item I read (probably in the NDTV website) he ensured that all leaders above Zilla Parishad posts were his relations - family or business wise. Thus the Congress finds itself in disarray today. In spite of all its protestations of not having used the CBI as a weapon against Jagan the timing of his recent arrest and the duration raises key questions. His present custody will extend till just one day before the scheduled by-elections in Andhra Pradesh. His mother and YSR's widow has actively jumped into the fray. She is sure to use Jagan's arrest as a point to garner sympathy of the voters. Thus it is quite possible that these elections will see a very strong performance by YSRCP. 

The outcome of these elections can decide the future of the political scenario in the state. If YSRCP performs strongly and Jagan is able to at least temporarily escape the CBI's custody it is very possible he will emerge as a very very strong political candidate, possibly even the next CM. However if he is found guilty and sentenced he might end up as a damp squib. In the latter scenario the Congress and the TDP both will find it easy to keep their flock together. 

Jagan belongs to the politically influential Reddy community. He has Sakshi TV and Sakshi newspaper through which he can influence public opinion, at least to some extent. His father was immensely popular. He is seen as the successor to his father and he does not seem to have any problems money wise. These are the things going in his favour today. A probable lack of equivalent leaders in at least the Congress can probably be added as a point in his favour.

Thus we will soon see whether Jagan will be a juggernaut, crushing his opposition and cruising to victory, or whether he will be incarcerated and be reduced to nothing. Given the nature of Indian politics even if he is found guilty he might return one day and play the role of the innocent victim in front of the voters. The Indian public can probably forgive everything and anything. So will this be Jagan's year? Wait and watch!

The Great Indian Intelligence Smorgasbord

I was reminded of this term somehow and looked it. Though the word was originally meant for a dish it has become synonymous with a heterogeneous mixture.

Moving on, I was reading an article on why there is some opposition to the NCTC mooted by the Home Minister, P Chidambaram (PC). Apparently PC envisaged an umbrella organization with an operations wing and which would report solely to him. I initially thought Mamata, among various others, was being extremely impractical when she was opposing the very idea of the NCTC. Now I have mixed feelings. On the one hand we have a number of intelligence agencies. Look at this list. For quite some time there has been a clamour for centralized analysis of intelligence collected by various agencies. It is quite possible that a piece of information collected by an agency in Tamil Nadu, which seems insignificant to the local personnel could be the key piece in a puzzle being put together by a central intelligence agency.

So why can't we change the NCTC into such an agency? Unless I am mistaken we do not have a proper central agency today which does that. We have the NSA and CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security). However they cannot sift through the huge volume of information that keeps flowing in. This could be something that is handed over to the NCTC. It can act as a central collator of information coming in from various quarters. It can analyze the same and then give appropriate directions to various government agencies.

This would also require setting up a secure and robust communication network for information sharing between central agencies. Given today's instances like spyware originating from China, the Stuxnet attack in Iran, this should be all the more secure as it would be used to share very sensitive information. Now we can only wait and watch as to how the NCTC game plays out.

Is Mamata trying to do an Indira?

Birth is something that is more associated with a mother than a father. Thus it is not surprising when one's native place or country is compared to a mother. The saying attributed to Rama - jananee janmabhoomischa swargaadapi gareeyasee (mother and motherland are greater than heaven - this is the national motto of Nepal) - is apparently apocryphal. Valimiki's Ramayana is considered to be the authoritative version and this does not have that line. There is however a difference between justified adoration and simple sycophancy. 

There was a former politician Dev Kant Baruah who once said, "Indira is India and India is Indira". I do not know whether Indira Gandhi actually believed him. However she is known as one of India's most authoritarian figures ever. Mamata seems to be en route to becoming like her day by day. She does not seem to be financially benefiting out of politics. The next aim seems to be power. She seems to be identifying herself too literally with the mother part in her slogan maa, maaTee, maanush. She is brooking no kind of challenge to her authority. There was a rape incident some time back. In spite of being a woman she simply claimed it was a ploy to defame her government. Then her government sent a list of approved papers to various libraries in West Bengal or Paschim Bongo to be politically correct. Now a professor who forwarded a political cartoon has been arrested. First he was assaulted by her supporters. The police instead of first dealing with the assaulters slapped cases against him on what charges? Eve teasing, assaulting the modesty of a woman etc. Agreed, didi is not married, but eve teasing? Seriously? For a cartoon?

The professor is rightly receiving support from students who are forwarding various cartoons on her. Mamata having wrested power from the CPM is seeing them in every shadow. She should come out of her paranoia. In fact by her actions she is probably increasing the popularity of the CPM in a way CPM members could not probably have done.

She can probably take a leaf out of Modi's book. He is another politician who has claimed complete identification with Gujarat publicly. Any attack on him is made out to be one on the dignity of Gujarat. However I don't think he has resorted to Mamata's means. He has taken the path of promoting development and that has reaped rich political dividends. Will Mamata learn from him?

On the institution of marriage - 2

I had written a post earlier on the institution of marriage. I have been asked to comment on life post marriage. To protect our privacy I cannot comment directly on the same. However I will write about a few things which I believe are part of or essential to any couple's happy married life. Before I am pilloried I will put a disclaimer here - the sequence does not necessarily indicate the importance of the topic being discussed.

The first is companionship. Before marriage a person comes into contact with a lot of people in his/her life - parents, relatives, friends, girl/boy (generally not both!) friends. However in an inexpressible way the companionship provided by one's spouse is completely different. Here are two people who have made a (generally) public pact to remain wedded to each other, come what may, for the rest of their lives, or as said at Christian weddings, till death does them part. Who said it is not possible to fall in love after marriage? It is possible to realize the extent to which a person can love you truly after the wedding only. Before marriage one generally sees only the rosy aspects of life. Things can change even between people who were in love before marriage. A kind of complacency can set in which can prove to be most dangerous. However when you find a person who loves you beyond what you thought was humanly possible after the wedding, that is when you find true bliss on earth. This companionship is the hallmark of any successful marriage. As I mentioned before, the thing that must be avoided at all costs is taking the other person for granted. Thus a healthy respect for the other individual coupled with other emotions is essential. In Indian philosophy there is the concept of "neti" or not this. When one is asked to describe Brahman (the ultimate form of God, and not the caste) one can only say that it is not such and such. One can never truly describe what it is. Similar is the concept of this companionship. It can only be experienced felt and cannot be described.

Next I want to mention trust. This is the foundation of any marriage. When one cannot trust the other partner completely there is never complete peace of mind. Today I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the FMCG industry. We were comparing notes on the tours and travails (apart from travels) of people in employment today. Even people in stationary jobs come into contact with a lot of people. The husband who starts suspecting his software employee wife as she comes late everyday is setting up their relationship for disaster. Thus both have to build this trust and maintain it. It goes without saying that they should remain true to each other!

One very important aspect is understanding. This probably is as important if not more than any other parameter in a marriage. When two human beings stay under a roof there are bound to be disagreements. The success of the marriage depends on how these are overcome. There is also a delicious feeling to making up after a fight. This is another thing that probably only a married couple can understand. This parameter is more prominently required in an arranged marriage as the two do not know each other properly.

In my opinion any other parameter would be secondary as compared to the ones mentioned above. Now we come to love. I believe this develops (or does not) as a consequence of either the combined effect of the above mentioned parameters or the expectation of the above parameters. The sitcom Friends had an episode where Joey says that there is no selfless act. Let us look at what might be perceived to be a selfless act - I see a hungry person on the street. Though I have my lunch with me I wish to give to the hungry person. In the process I have foregone my physical nourishment. However I have gained mental happiness. Thus one would be hard pressed to find something that is truly selfless (with all due respects and apologies I do confess that I am leaving out instances of martyrdom). Love is something similar. We love someone who we want in our lives. We love because of the mental image we have of them. However this is one emotion that beats everything! As it is said, it is love that makes the world go round!

For those of my friends out there who are in doubt whether or not to marry, or whether it is too soon to marry I can only tell them this - it is a blessed experience to be married to a person, to be insanely in love with that person and to be loved back with as much if not greater intensity. There is probably no other joy a man or woman can experience (with due respect to parents and siblings) than that of wedded bliss.

The Lankan Link and China's String of Pearls

First of all I have decided to hate all those who insist on attaching "gate" to any scandal - Porngate, coalgate (some marketing executives must be moaning) etc.

 

Coming to the topic, let us consider something in the very recent past. Twice, Sri Lanka held the fate of India's entry into the finals of cricket tournaments, and we were let down, so to say both times. As an interesting sideline in both series Kohli put up heroic performances, to no avail in the larger scenario. Let us look at the political scenario. India has voted in favour of the US resolution condemning Sri Lanka, and as I had expected China opposed it. What needs to be noted is that in its pursuit of power China has been seen to support not-so-palatable regimes and practices, be it in Africa or elsewhere.

If there were human rights abuses in Sri Lanka they need to be condemned, and strongly so. However how advisable was it to vote publicly? India could very well have given a private dressing down. But, no, as we have seen the present UPA government has consistently been at the receiving end from its partners and in this case it was the DMK. Having failed miserably in the last assembly elections the DMK is trying to play to the gallery to the hilt. The Congress also does not want to be seen as anti-Tamil. 

China has this policy called String of Pearls. More information can be obtained from here, here and here. From the looks of it, India does seem to be doing something to counter China. The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka was not exactly a success. Unless I am mistaken this was one of the main reasons why Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. So how exactly are we trying to build goodwill in Lanka? I do not know. Whenever Sri Lanka is in the news it is either because the Lankan navy has fired at or detained Indian fishermen or because of our Tamilian parties crying themselves hoarse about injustice to their brethren across the Palk Strait. We must focus more on the positives and get the Lankans to appreciate our just demands rather than act like a big brother. The IDSA article, a link to which is given above specifically focuses on the importance of diplomacy. 

 

Much has been written of late how today influence is being increasingly wielded by economic rather than military means. China is building the Gwadar port in Pakistan. India can similarly work with Bangladesh (as it already is I believe) to link its north east to other parts via sea and road. It should continue its work in Iran, whether it be the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline or working with Iran on its ports to ensure a supply route to Afghanistan in the event Pakistan turns (further) hostile. Goodwill must be the primary means by which India should strive to first counter China. This would rather akin to the ancient Indian medicinal science of Ayurveda which focuses on prevention as importantly if not more than on cure. Charm and win over potential allies of China denying them any hostile space there. Remember the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. India does not need to create the negative emotion of hostility which is in fact more difficult. I believe we are generally not perceived to be as aggressive (in a negative way) as China. Leverage this and counter those who wish us ill.

I want izzat: Mamata, I want an aspirin: MMS

Mamata says she wants izzat. Let us have a look at a few things.

1. Mamata did not accompany the PM on his last visit to Bangladesh. On the agenda were discussions on sharing of the Teesta's waters.

2. She did not attend the inauguration of the NSG hub at Kolkata. Chidambaram was present at this meeting. Mamata was upset with the NCTC then I believe.

3. Dinesh Trivedi who showed some sense has been removed. The PM expressed his regret and Mamata says she is not getting respect.

I believe MMS would be very justified if he asked for a fig leaf to protect his modesty or an aspirin to relieve him of a headache. Bengal, apparently does not seem favourable to the UPA. First came the Communists, their previous allies from Bengal (okay, all Communists are not Bengalis but they do have a sizeable presence there). Then came the not-so-good show in the state polls which were a huge success for Mamata. Then came the lady herself. The NCTC is a key requirement in today's India. It would be shame if this fell prey to politics. The states, if they have genuine grievances should highlight them at the appropriate forums instead of playing victims and games of oneupmanship. The centre on its part should give up its arrogance and try to involve all stakeholders.

Moving on, the BSP and TMC today saved the government to an extent. Though the TMC has expressed its opposition to the NCTC it did not vote for the censure motion moved by the CPM, BJP and BJD. The BJD put money where its mouth was. The TMC proved it is all mouth and nothing else. In my opinion these walkouts should be banned. The citizens of this country elect their representatives to act as their voice and legislate, not to walk out. The right to reject is a wonderful idea. Similar to that walkouts should be banned. If parties want to be hypocritic they should at least have the sense to appear so.

There was a report in today's paper that Mamata was in the know about the Railway Minister's recent decision to hike fares (even if it was nominal). This came after all the hungama about the increase in fares and Mamata's public posturing about the PM needing to sack Dinesh Trivedi. Apparently even opposition leaders were in the know and it was thought that the hike was unavoidable, given the present condition of the Indian Railways. 

Why are our politicians afraid of coming out into the open about something that they secretly acknowledge is for the greater good? Are they afraid that people (read voters) will see them to be anti-poor, anti-middle class and anti-everything in general? As soon as Mamata started making noises one of the ideas doing the rounds was that Mamata privately agreed to the hike but was publicly raising a cry to maintain her pro-aam aadmi image. If this is not true then Mamata is indeed turning out to be a populist demagogue of the most dangerous kind. Our politicians should not shy away from public debate on issues like FDI in retail, deregulation of petrol prices and such issues. They should stop thinking that the aam aadmi cannot understand such issues. If that is the perception they should strive to educate them and then take executive decisions which are in the interest of the country.

Take FDI in retail for instance. Granted, there might be a community of shopkeepers who might get adversely affected at least in the short term. However the middle class (which also includes these shopkeepers) would stand to gain from reduced prices and greater efficiencies in the supply chain. Why does the government not highlight such issues?

Moving on, the Gujarat Congress is up in arms against two articles published recently in the US. One was by TIME magazine and the other by the Brookings Institution. These seem to have praised Modi for developing Gujarat into what it is today. This seems to be a very good example of sour grapes. India is a free country where we have an independent Election Commission. Modi is still winning support of the people. The riots constitute an ugly blot on our democracy. However till date no court has found Modi to be guilty of anything with regard to the riots. So does the Congress not believe in our courts? Is it not contempt of court to pre-judge the guilt of Modi? Naveen Patnaik is a person who has been facing spectacular success in Odisha (I do not like imposing one's language on others, I prefer Orissa) has a personally clean image and is said to be working for the development of the state. Today more and more the Indian voter seems to be voting for development rather than for anything else. The Congress however seems intent on tarring Modi with the communal brush at every available turn. Its leaders insist on minority appeasement (remember Salman Khurshid's claim about Sonia Gandhi shedding tears about the Batla House encounter? I believe his wife, Louise lost the election).Salman Rushdie targeted young leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. He pointed out how minority appeasement failed. Our politicians should realize this and develop more guts as far as national interest is concerned.

On Kahaani and the Telugu film industry

Today I watched Kahaani starring Vidya Balan along with a few friends and our better halves. I was initially apprehensive about watching the movie when my wife suggested it. However it turned out to be an awesome movie. Typically when any of our intelligence agencies are depicted in films the agents are depicted to be James Bondish characters who rescue the nation from the clutches of the evil antagonist and win the heart of the heroine. Seldom do we get films in which they are portrayed the way they were in Kahaani. I wholeheartedly recommend the film to anyone who has not seen it yet. Do not be put off by the picture of a pregnant woman who seems to have a Durga-like portrayal on the poster. Watch the movie and understand the symbolism behind the poster.

After coming home while flipping though the channels on the TV I happened to come across what was probably the audio release function of a movie. This movie features the son of a very prominent actor. I was immediately struck by the sycophancy that goes into making Telugu movies. The hero is everything. One punch, and the villains go flying. He is invincible. The very elements tremble when the hero is in full flow, whether it is an introduction scene or a fight with the villains. The hero has to come out unscathed. Take for instance a movie called Tagore which featured Chiranjeevi. I was told this was the remake of a Tamil movie called Ramana. In this movie the hero sets up an anti-corruption agency which executes the most corrupt person in government departments. Apparently at the end of the Tamil movie the hero was hanged. Had this been the end of the Telugu movie the director and producer of the movie might probably have been lynched by fans. In Tamil films Rajnikanth has a similar fan following. Further there is intense glorification of violence in Telugu films. The hero, on the side of right ends up killing a lot of villains by the end of the movie. 

I wonder till when this extremely unrealistic portrayal of life will continue. When will the Telugu film industry get a movie like Kahaani consistently? I must say that there are some Telugu films also of late which have a story to speak of. I just want the age of sycophancy to end. I want good movies to be the rule rather than the exception.

Will Didi disappoint?

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This 19th century quote by Lord Acton is being proved right yet again in the 21st century. When Didi came to power I had a doubt. She was no doubt a popular leader, a demagogue even. But would she be an effective administrator? Mamata was in a sense lucky. There was a lot of effort which went into unseating the Left in West Bengal. However Mamata turned out to be the right person at the right place at the right time. Further had Nandigram and Singur not happened, who knows, maybe even today she might have been in the opposition benches?

I was talking to a person from Kolkata recently and happened to ask him if Mamata had managed to bring about any changes (remember her statement about changing Kolkata into London?). Yes, definitely was his response. Previously a policeman used to let you go if you bribed him maybe 5-10 rupees, today (I was expecting him to say there is no corruption) he charges 100 rupees to do the same! Just take a look at the recent events that have been in the news. A lady was raped after she stepped out of a Park Street nightclub. The blame was put on the Left. Look at how Mamata's relatives and supporters are brazenly showing their power. Initially she was running to Pranab da for assistance packages. Then she announced an autonomy package for the hilly regions of Bengal the validity of which was questioned later. Today she is one of the primary antagonizers of the government.

When the UPA came to power the second time, this time without the support of the Left, it was felt reforms could go ahead. However Mamata has replaced the Left as the principal opponent to anything related to the free market. She refuses to raise railway fares (I believe some time back the railway's cash reserves were below one crore). She refuses to let the government decontrol fuel prices fully. FDI in the retail sector? Baba, ki bolcho? Ae rokom jinish hobe na! (God, what are you saying? Such things cannot happen, my words). Railway safety, in the mean time might have gone to the dogs. Dinesh Trivedi, her acolyte and the present railway minister does not seem to be doing anything. Pariborton or change for the uninitiated is only that which is sanctioned by Didi. She might want to bring Bengal (and maybe the country) to its knees. However she should remember that people should go down on their knees in gratitude than in submission and coercion.

What's up, EC?

Is the Election Commission (EC) getting biased? Consider the following points.

1. Remember all the controversy over veiling of elephant statues in UP? One could probably say the EC was getting over zealous in this regard. This was with respect to the BSP.

2. Salman Khurshid took on the EC, issued a regret remark (I don't think he even apologized) and he got off

3. Beni Prasad Verma did the same, the EC has issued a showcause notice. Even before this Verma said this was a slip of tongue.

4. Robert Vadra is making not-so-subtle if not blatantly in-your-face remarks which indicate he is itching to get into politics. His "coming out" occasion was a motorcycle rally he held in UP. An IAS officer stopped the rally as the number of motorcycles was above the permitted number (maybe we see over zealousness again). This officer was transferred out and his transfer was only stopped after a hue and cry was raised.

So do we see the EC going soft on the Congress? Is it not enough that we already have a government and party in power which seem intent on suppressing free speech in this country? Do they seriously need more ammunition? Apparently some remarks critical of the government, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are being quietly removed by service providers like Twitter. Verma has to reply by tomorrow to the EC's notice. For once I wish the EC would show some spine and actually take some action. As all leaders should be aware, ignorance of the law is not an excuse for violation of law. It is probably time to remember the days of Seshan who put the fear of God into our "representatives".

Further the President's son was caught with one crore in cash during the course of the recently concluded civic polls in Mumbai. His excuse - the money was to be distributed among poor candidates - seems as ridiculous and poor as the one given by a BJP minister in Karnataka when he was caught watching porn in the state assembly. He was issued a notice by the EC. What is the status of this case?

Moving on, there was a piece of news that got me thinking. The centre will file a review petition against the Supreme Court's recent order in the Vodafone tax case. This will apparently be heard by the same bench which delivered the verdict. Remember the Army Chief vs the govt showdown that happened recently? The Supreme Court had initially pulled up the govt over "vitiated procedure" as the Attorney General was involved at two different hearings of the General's plea. Now do different rules apply to the executive and judicial wings? Would the Vodafone verdict encourage more companies to opt for tax havens to conclude deals for assets based in India? I wonder...

Et tu, Sri Sri?

Apparently ndtv convergence has tied up exclusively with the Art of Living Foundation for rights to all mobile-based content. Initially the service will be available to Airtel users and then will later on be available on other operators also. Somehow I found it hard to think about the concept of business exclusivity in relation to spirituality, especially (or am I being naive?) in India where traditionally such knowledge has followed the Biblical saying, "ask and ye shall receive".

I believe the foundation is rich enough to put the content online and pay someone like ndtv to maintain it. The website can always carry ads or ask for donations.

Moving on, we know that sensationalism triumphs over the mundane any day, at least initially. Now as per news available in the public domain two chief ministers from the BJP, one incumbent and one former would make for some interesting if horrifying reading.

A former judge who investigated the Gujarat riots said there was audio proof of Haren Pandya, the deceased former home minister of the state talking about Modi asking the police to let the Hindu rioters vent their feelings. Pandya was shot dead some time after he was removed from his post, having had a falling out with Modi.

The former Karnataka CM, Yeddyurappa is considered to be "close" to Shobha Karandlaje another BJP member. His wife died under unnatural circumstances. One allegation is that he murdered his wife because of a relationship with Ms Karandlaje! Don't we have interesting politicians?

The nonsense that is Valentine's Day

Okay, now that I have your attention (I hope) I shall proceed. This headline reminds me of the ad (allegedly) created for Subway. A hoarding screams "SEX" and then talks about Subway.

There must be a lot of single people out there in the world today who are sad that they have to "spend Valentine's Day (VD), (pun unintended but delighted at it all the same) alone". Greeting card and chocolate companies and florists must be waiting with bated breath to see if this year's sales will cross last year's. So now what is all the hullabaloo about? I turned to our ever-helpful guide, Wikipedia.

Apparently the legend that St. Valentine was a priest who used to get couples married secretly is hogwash. There is no historical basis to this legend. There would be people, so deeply affected by medieval and modern-day marketing that they would ask me if there was historical basis for God. To them I can only say, as the Telugu saying goes, evadi verri vaadiki aanandam (and no, I do not know if this verri is related to kolaveri, I will hunt down and kill the next person who talks to me about that song). The closest English equivalent would be "to each, his own". The Wikipedia article says that 1.3 billion pounds are spent in England in a year. There was an article in today's ToI which talked about Britons being angry at England still providing aid targeting poverty in India. I think the amount that the British Government spends is much less than what the Britons themselves blow. 

So today the main beneficiaries of VD are greeting card companies, jewelry companies, florists and chocolate companies. Apparently till some time back emeralds and diamonds used to cost the same. Soon heavy marketing campaigns started driving up the prices of diamonds (does the phrase "diamonds are forever" ring a bell?), and this has persisted to this day. Today we see platinum being marketed similarly ("when is your platinum day of love?"). Also today everyone wants overt displays of well, love, whether it is PDA (public display of affection), greeting cards, jewelry or the likes. I would like to know the number of girls today who would willingly buy their boyfriends' argument that VD is hogwash and be content with the knowledge that they are loved rather than ask for (expensive) gifts to be bought for them.

When I was in BIT there was this practice of auctioning roses. The price of the last rose invariably used to be more than that of the previous ones. The club which was auctioning would be happy with the proceeds. The girlfriend of the guy who bought the rose would be "oh he loves me so much". The boyfriend would go, "see how much I care about my girlfriend". I would like to know how many of these couples are actually still together today.

So girls, please let your boyfriend/husbands be in peace. The famous ad-man David Ogilvy said, "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife. You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything.". Please try to prove him right. If you say you are persuaded after intense marketing campaigns only, I can only say to your BFs/husbands, guys, good luck!

Why I support Leno but not America - part 2

In my previous post I had expressed my support for Jay Leno. In this post I want to write about America and Iran today.This has been in the news quite some of late. Granted, the current administration in Iran is not the ideal one a democracy would want in another. However what must be kept in mind (and which the US is wont to ignore) is that Iran is a sovereign state with its own democratically (even if the elections were questionable) elected government. How the US has supported autocratic regimes in the middle east while claiming to support democracy elsewhere must have been discussed ad nauseam. Hence I will not venture into that territory in this post.

Let us consider a few points. There seem to be multiple reasons why the US seem to be so antagonistic to Iran. For one, I believe the government before Iran was turned into an Islamic Republic was favourably disposed towards the US. The current regime is Islamic and this is something the US has a problem with (unless the regime is pro-US as in the case of other middle eastern countries like Saudi Arabia). Then Iran is a neighbour of Israel. The US has consistently been pro-Israel to my knowledge probably because of the large number of Jews in influential positions in the US. Thus when such a country as Iran aspires or shows aspirations to become a nuclear weapons state it must give sleepless nights to Israel and the US. Further Israel is sufficiently close to US strategic interests (read oil) in the middle east to affect them adversely in the event of a conflict. 

1. The US is an existing nuclear weapons state. Israel is rumoured to have nuclear weapons. It has always maintained an ambiguous position with respect to its nuclear capability. Iran, in all probability has no nuclear weapons currently. 
2. The US has in the recent past deposed regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am not even taking into account conflicts like the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Iran does not seem to have done so. The last war Iran fought was with Iraq after being invaded by it.
3. The US has the world's largest military budget which is 4.7% of its GDP. Among all developed countries Israel  has the highest defence spending as a percentage of GDP at 6.3%. Iran's spending as a percentage of its GDP stood at 1.8% in 2008. Refer to this and this. 
4. Though Iran  is an Islamic country it is predominantly Shia. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are predominantly Sunni. The Sunnis have no love lost for the Shias and some Sunnis even cosider the Shias to be heretics (one only needs to remember the sectarian violence that keeps popping up in Pakistan). Thus Iran can be said to be surrounded by hostile Muslim countries also.

There is talk of the US invading Iran if it continues its nuclear program. A few nuclear scientists have been killed in what seem to be targeted assassinations in the past few years. The EU is joining hands with the US to put pressure on Iran to drop its weapons program. Among the articles I read was an interesting point. A very important reason, if not the most important reason why countries go the nuclear way is deterrence. The US is today very worried about stability in Pakistan and North Korea precisely because they possess nuclear weapons. This in a way deters the aggressor from invading. Thus the current pressure on Iran can in fact drive to hasten its program so that it reaches a stronger bargaining position. Israel seems to have an intention of undertaking pre-emptive strikes to stop Iran from making nuclear weapons. Even taking into consideration the instinct of self preservation this can only be described as arrogant disregard for another country's sovereign status (similar to its ally, the US).

Countries like India are being pressurised not to purchase energy from Iran. Due to this, India is also facing problems in paying Iran for the oil it imports. Thus I believe it is high time for countries like us to stand up to US and European pressure while persuading Iran to get to the negotiating table. It is unfair to ask Iran to give up its defence programs when it perceives most if not all of its neighbouring or nearby countries to be hostile.

Why I support Jay Leno but not America - part 1

I have divided this post into two parts as it promises to be a lengthy one.Let us start with Jay Leno. I love the guy's show. He is irreverent towards one and all. When he showed the Golden Temple as part of a parody on one of the presidential hopefuls it raised the hackles of some Sikhs and our politicians/bureaucrats. The US government has come to his defence defending his freedom of expression. Why are we as a race so thin-skinned? We pride ourselves on being a democracy but I time and again feel we are extremely hypocritical. Any time there seems to be even a hint of anything but respect towards a religion we start shouting. This is not a case of our gods being portrayed on underwear, it is not a case of a scripture being banned in a country. These were causes worth fighting for. But Leno's "transgression" is not. 

Don't we parody our own gods? Frequently don't we find our gods portrayed in cartoons which comment on our social, political and economic happenings (especially around Ganesh Chaturthi)? Do we ban all these cartoonists? Where is the famous Punjabi sense of humour? Take Salman Rushdie's example also. Granted the guy seems to have written an extremely provocative and probably avoidable book (which I admit I have not read). However do we banish this guy from our country for this mistake(?)? He was not allowed to come to the Jaipur literary festival. He was not even allowed to address it via video conference! Why? Some Muslim groups raised a stink. The Congress governments at the centre and state (Rajasthan) do not want to give any ammunition to their political rivals in Uttar Pradesh where elections are due to happen shortly. 

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state is ruled by a party which heartily embraces Buddhism and Ambedkar. I will take a side track briefly. Now Ambedkar was a victim of our (sadly distorted) caste system and I believe this was the strongest reason why he converted to Buddhism. He must have had his justification, but first of all was this right? Gautama Buddha seems to be more of an agnostic than an atheist (the reader can to refer to this article for a more detailed reading). This means Ambedkar embraced a religion which did not denounce God. Thus he gave up one God for another. Did the "Hindu Gods" fail him or did Hindus fail him? This is a debatable issue.

Now coming back, I will narrate a story related to the Buddha (or was it Ramakrishna Paramahamsa?). I might be paraphrasing but the gist remains the same. One day the Buddha was begging and he reached a particular house. The man or woman of the house abused him profoundly for begging. The Buddha did not say anything and simply walked away. When another person asked him if he was not perturbed, he replied that the man had spouted a lot of rubbish. As the Buddha refused to accept it the rubbish was still with the person who had abused him. We rever Gandhi as a Mahatma and as the Father of the Nation. Did he not advise one to show the other cheek when slapped on one? Where is this spirit of tolerance today? 

Indian self-congratulation about freedom of expression and democracy brings to my mind a joke I once read. Once a citizen of Soviet Russia and another from the US met and started boasting about their respective countries. The US citizen said, "Do you know how much freedom we have in our country? I can go in front of the White House and call our President an idiot!". The Soviet citizen replied, "I too have a lot of freedom in my country. I can happily go up to the Kremlin and shout that the American President is an idiot!". When will we come out of this mentality?

Whether it is a Salman Rushdie, an MF Hussain or anyone else, we should learn to look beyond whatever "transgressions" they have committed. We can censure them if we believe they are wrong, but who are we to take away their freedom and dignity?

I want to be a peon!

In my school usage of the word "peon" was discouraged as this was believed to be a colonial term. We were instead asked to say "attender". Whatever may be the correct term when one thinks of a peon one does not exactly think of a person rolling in riches. However this article about peons in Madhya Pradesh seems to say otherwise. How is this possible? This, or for that matter most corruption in our country is probably because of our red tape. Also, corruption today seems to have become almost routine everywhere. Consider the following examples which I myself have faced or have heard about. These are true whether we are talking about the government, public sector or any private sector organization, whatever might be the image these organizations/companies publicly profess.

1. In a government office a certain document had to be given to a bureaucrat. The peon who worked in the office told me that he expected something for him reminding me that he was the person who had to actually hand it over physically to the babu. 

2. Ask any person from the collections department of a company if it is possible to collect dues without greasing some palms. The logic seems to be,  "I am releasing so much money for you, why should I not benefit?" The person does not seem to realize that it is not his money that is being released but that of the company he is working for.

The simplest solution for all of this seems to be to take things online and keep them open to the extent possible. Nothing is so simple, I confess, but a start has to be made somewhere. The citizens' charter proposed by Anna's team seems especially important in the context of all the red tape.

Moving on, it has been said that the verdict of the Supreme Court that Vodafone will not have to pay tax on its purchase of Hutchison's stake will encourage foreign investment in India. Whatever might be the logic behind this, in today's world where we are talking about cracking down on tax havens, I believe this is a retrograde step. When the deal involves India why can't the Indian government tax the transaction? At the same time, however, I do not like the government's argument that it has to earn money via such transactions. I am sure the government can explore more constructive ways and also reduce the colossal spend on inefficient schemes and facilities.